3Diligent releases Complete Guide to Metal 3D printing

3Diligent, a rapid manufacturing service provider, has released its Complete Guide to Metal 3D Printing, a comprehensive assessment of current and future trends in metal 3D printing.

Subtitled ‘An Overview of Industry Advancement and Technologies’, the guide has been compiled to target those considering embarking on a metal printing project.

Earning coverage in the 13-page report are headlines on metal 3D printing by GE and Boeing, 3Diligent research from its State of Professional and Industrial 3D printing analysis, and the processes and applications of the technology. The latter will concern the pros and cons of the following established and emerging metal printing processes: Laser Melting Powder Bed Fusion; Electron Beam Melting Powder Bed Fusion; Infiltrated Binder Jetting; Directed Energy Deposition; Wax Print-to-Cast; Sand Print-to-Cast; Print-to-Plating; Full Sinter Binder Jetting; Sheet Lamination; Nano Particle Jetting; and Extrusion Metal.

Introducing the report, 3Diligent alludes to the application of metal 3D printing by GE and Boeing, to suggest metal 3D printing’s future is in as a manufacturing tool rather than just a rapid prototyping one, and the continuation of growth in interest will serve the technology well. It reads: “These headlines seem to have served as a catalyst for businesses beyond the aerospace and medical fields to begin exploring the technology’s potential in earnest. This stands to create a virtuous cycle where increased demand will drive continued improvement in metal 3D printing reliability, speed and cost effectiveness.”

The report goes on to dissect the order figures for metal materials against themselves and plastics and resins, before assessing the technology process by process. It concludes: ‘Metal printing has arrived’ and spells out the company’s belief that a promising future lies ahead.

“It’s clear that metal 3D printing is becoming a foundational technology for the next generation of aerospace, medical, and other industrial parts,” Cullen Hilkene, 3Diligent CEO said. “However, staying on top of the latest developments to ensure you’re utilising the best technologies in market and making informed investments can be a major challenge. It is my hope that this report can provide a useful perspective on the current landscape.”

As well as his company overseeing the publish of the Complete Guide to Metal 3D Printing, Hilkene will speak at the 3D Metal Printing Experience and Tech Tour in Schaumburg, Chicago, Illinois next week. His talk will be titled ‘Metal Printing Processes: Tradeoffs, Applications and Emerging Technologies’ and will cover a range of metal printing techniques, common applications produced with them, and relevant tradeoffs. Hilkene will also touch on how emerging metal printing processes might complement and compete with existing methods of manufacturing.

The 3D Metal Printing Experience and Tech Tour will take place from August 16-17 at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, Chicago, Illinois.